The takeover of Charlton Athletic by an Al Ain-based consortium will prompt a strong collaboration between the English club and the emirate of Abu Dhabi, high-ranking members of the new board have told The National.
The purchase of the second-tier English football club was completed by East Street Investments (ESI) on January 2 after an agreement to buy was first announced in November, subject to approval by the Football League.
Tahnoon Nimer, chairman of Al Ain-based Abu Dhabi Business Development (ADBD) - the private office of Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoun – and the majority shareholder in ESI through his corporation, Panorama Magic General Contracting, sits on the new board as a director. He is joined by ADBD chief executive Jonathan Heller, while Matt Southall has been installed as club chairman.
Currently, Charlton lie 19th in the Championship, five points above the relegation zone. Promoted from League One last season, they last competed in the English Premier League in 2007.
Speaking to The National, Nimer said the board has a five-year "masterplan" but in the short term wants "absolute stability" before focusing attention on regaining Premier League status.
“We are working now to make the fans happy,” he said, adding that he would soon take in his first match at The Valley, Charlton's home ground in south London.
Nimer said he is talking to his local club, Al Ain, about “how we can join hands” and build ties between the two, with possible player loans to follow, particularly youth players.
Charlton hope to bring the squad to Abu Dhabi for a training camp towards the end of the Championship season, possibly the beginning of May, with the team expected to become regular visitors to the capital.
Southall, who spent time at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium last week, said the club were seeking to establish commercial partnerships in the Middle East, using Nimer's knowledge of, and close relationships in, the region.
Southall said he speaks daily with Nimer’s advisors, especially as Charlton look to add to the squad this January as they attempt to achieve their immediate target of remaining in the Championship.
On the potential player-exchange between Charlton and clubs within the UAE, Southall added: “Going forward we could potentially send players here on loan from our academy; they may send players to us.
“It's only good for the profile of their club if they've got a player who's playing in our first team, and it’s good for the profile of football out here if they've got a player from England playing in their team as well. So there's definitely scope to build relationships with clubs out here.”
Southall said also that provisions are in place should Charlton be relegated this season, and that a return to League One would not impact significantly the club’s ability to generate revenue from Gulf sponsors.
“Given the fact that we're already quite streamlined, as long as we can continue to increase the commercial revenues, the partners that we're speaking to in the Middle East, they're wanting to get involved because of their relationship with Tahnoon,” Southall said. “Regardless of whether we're in League One or the Championship or the Premier League, they know our long-term vision, our long-term plan.”
Southall was wary of comparisons made, understandably, with Abu Dhabi’s acquisition of Manchester City in 2008. However, he said that, like City, the Charlton board would not concentrate solely on the development of the football team, with a number of projects, including a brand new training complex spanning almost 40 acres, in the pipeline. Work on the training ground is scheduled to begin this summer.
Obviously we're a totally separate entity to the guys at Manchester City. When I sat down with Tahnoon and his advisers I outlined my vision and my way and how I feel we could move the club forward
“Obviously we’re a totally separate entity to the guys at Manchester City,” Southall said. “When I sat down with Tahnoon and his advisers I outlined my vision and my way and how I feel we could move the club forward.
“And that isn’t the same as when Sheikh Mansour looked at Man City; they were in the Premier League then. There’s so much more money in the Premier League than there is the Championship.
“So that would’ve been a different vision to what I’ve got Tahnoon to buy into. It’s not really comparable. But the fact they’ve taken the local community, they’ve expanded it, the campus, they’ve invested into all the regeneration around the ground. They do a lot of work in the community, so there are similarities. But in terms of structure it’s completely different.”
A former Dubai resident, Southall has been working with ADBD since last year and said he had long considered Charlton for acquisition, particularly given its base in London. He began conversations about a takeover with then-owner Roland Duchatelet in mid-August, with the bid moving forward at pace.
“The price Roman wanted was excessive for other people, but the fact of the potential of the projects and the value if you do get to the Premier League - look at Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, they’d sell at about £220 million [Dh1 billion] - so that's the numbers you're talking there.
“So £50m investment and obviously money on top for players, ultimately if you do get there, you get a good return on your investment. It didn't really take much convincing. The location, the ties with the local community, the manager [Lee Bowyer], the academy: Tahnoon just said, ‘Go and work the deal.’”
Meanwhile, Nimer said that, in time, ESI would consider acquiring a club in another country, but for now its priority is Charlton.
The%20specs
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
Racecard
%3Cp%3E8.30pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C200m%3Cbr%3E9pm%3A%20Yas%20Island%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%3Cbr%3E9.30pm%3A%20Saadiyat%20Island%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3Cbr%3E10pm%3A%20Reem%20Island%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%3Cbr%3E10.30pm%3A%20Arabian%20Triple%20Crown%20Round%203%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(PA)%20Dh300%2C000%20(T)%202%2C400m%3Cbr%3E11pm%3A%20Al%20Maryah%20Island%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
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Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.